World Cup 2026 | Brazil 1 - 1 Morocco

A poor Brazil performance means Carlo Ancelotti has a lot to think about 

Vinicius Jr spared them the embarrassment of an opening World Cup defeat for the first time since 1934 as his brilliant solo effort earned the five-time champions a draw against Morocco

Author | James Y

Stadium | New York New Jersey Stadium

Brazil fell behind in the 21st minute when Ismael Saibari lofted the ball over the advancing Alisson Becker from outside the penalty area following a breakdown in communication between the Liverpool goalkeeper and his defenders, Gabriel and Marquinhos.

It was the first time the African champions had scored against South American opposition at a World Cup, having previously drawn blanks against Peru in 1970 and Brazil in 1998.

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Morocco continued to dictate proceedings and, by the half-hour mark, had registered 12 shots, the most Brazil have faced in a World Cup match since their meeting with Mexico in 2018.

Watch | Pre match atmosphere

However, Mohamed Ouahbi's side were unable to make their superiority count and Brazil levelled 13 minutes before the interval through Vinicius.

On his 50th appearance for the Selecao, the forward gathered Bruno Guimaraes' pass inside the area, shifted the ball onto his right foot and fired an unstoppable strike beyond Yassine Bounou.

Former West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta almost completed the turnaround in first-half stoppage time, but his acrobatic effort was pushed behind for a corner.

Brazil legends were there to witness their poor start to the tournament

With several members of Brazil's victorious 2002 World Cup squad watching from the stands in New Jersey, including Ronaldo, Kaka and Roberto Carlos, Carlo Ancelotti's side began to find their rhythm after the restart.

Clear opportunities remained scarce, but Raphinha came closest to a winner when he narrowly failed to connect with Guimaraes' low cross flashing across the face of goal.

The result means Morocco are still searching for a first opening-match victory at a World Cup, while Brazil's remarkable 92-year unbeaten record in their first game of the tournament remains intact.